The Rally of the Republicans (French: Rassemblement des Républicains; abbreviated RDR) is a liberal party in Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire).

It was thought that these provisions were specifically intended to keep Ouattara out of the running; he had been deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund for almost five years and his father's family had roots in Burkina Faso.

[10] Ouattara said that he was eligible to stand in this election, scheduled to be held in 2000, pointing to documents which he said demonstrated that he and his parents were of Ivorian birth, as required by the electoral code.

[11][12] His nationality certificate was annulled by a court in October 1999[13] and an arrest warrant for Ouattara was issued a month later,[14] although he was in France at the time.

[16] A number of RDR leaders, including the party's Secretary-General, Henriette Diabate, were arrested on October 27[17] on the grounds that they were responsible for violence occurring during protests they organized; in November, they were convicted and sentenced to prison.

[18] Ouattara returned to Ivory Coast on December 29, hailing Bédié's ouster as a "revolution supported by all the Ivorian people".